U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has had her fill of courtroom "theatrics" and questionable legal maneuvering from both sides in the Apple v. Samsung patent trial.

"I want papers," Koh told the court on Tuesday after Apple objected to one of Samsung's witnesses. "I don't trust what any lawyer tells me in this courtroom. I want to see actual papers."

Koh was obviously frustrated when Apple and Intel tried to block Tim Williams, Ph.D., one of Samsung's expert witnesses from testifying. Apple said Williams had not properly disclosed that he had signed multiple nondisclosure agreements, one of which Intel says prohibits him from discussing the particulars of Intel's source code.

That may not sound like that big a deal but the objections came just a few hours before Williams was scheduled to testify. And Koh has put up with a lot of what she has called "theatrics" in the case. Samsung's lawyers have appeared to tax her patience more than their counterparts on the other side.

Samsung has been sanctioned four times, mostly for failing to turn over evidence. In one notable exchange with John Quinn, one of the founders of Quinn Emanuel, the law firm leading Samsung's defense, Koh had to order him to stop talking. Quinn had begged Koh to reverse a decision regarding evidence she had decided shouldn't be shown to the jury. Quinn not only begged but, when she failed to grant his request, snapped at her.

"What's the point of having a trial?" Quinn told Koh as he raised his voice. "What's the point?"

At this point, it sounds like lawyers for both sides would do well not to test Koh's patience further.

About the author

Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and now covers Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about everything from new Web start-ups, to remote-controlled robots that watch your house. Prior to joining CNET, Josh covered breaking video game news, as well as reviewing game software. His current console favorite is the Xbox 360.
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